Overview
- California, which began enforcing its corn masa folic acid mandate in January, has spurred Alabama to start in June and pushed Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and Oregon to consider similar laws.
- California’s law sets 0.7 milligrams of folic acid per pound of corn masa flour, and Alabama matches that for flour with 0.4 milligrams per pound for finished masa products starting June 1.
- Major makers report broad uptake, with Gruma saying 97% of its U.S. retail sales now include folic acid and Mission Foods adding it to all branded and private‑label corn tortillas.
- Health experts and the CDC say fortification is safe, prevents defects of the brain and spine, and reaches people before pregnancy when many cases can still be prevented.
- Critics such as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have attacked the policy, yet wheat‑flour fortification since 1998 cut these defects by about 30% and corn masa was left out until a 2016 federal allowance.